When I am done I can hear voices on the other side of the door. They weren’t sleeping as soundly as I thought.
“Seriously, Midge! You cannot do that!” Wyatt runs his fingers through his already messy hair.
“Do what? I woke up and took a shower. Or did you miss the noise I made in the bathroom in your anger at my not being in your line of sight?” I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my toweled form. He looked slightly ashamed of his outburst, but then squared his shoulders. “You have to tell someone if you leave. That wound is still too fresh for surprises.”
“So, you are telling me, that if I wake up in the middle of the night and have to pee, that I have to ask permission to walk across the room to the attached bathroom, so you feel better?” I tilt my head slightly, daring him to say anything else that comes close to stupid. My irritation is bubbling right under the surface. He knows how I feel about being put in a bubble.
“We were all worried, when you weren’t here. Jena woke up in a panic yelling for you, and…” I cut him off moving to Jena quickly.
This happens regularly, but it’s not my story to tell. I sit next to her and wrap her in a hug, her head tucked under my chin.
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault they are all freaking out.” She whispers into my neck. “I can’t shake the nightmare and you are the only thing that seems to bring me out of it.” This time she is talking loud enough to be heard by everyone.
I just nod. “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out as we go, like everything else.”
Before I can say more, there’s a knock at the door, then Barty walks in.
“The King and Queen would like to see you all in the Mahogany Room in twenty minutes. The Luna Queen wanted me to let you know that breakfast would be served and the ladies all have clothing in Miss Skylar’s room.”
“Barty, we talked about this, drop the ‘miss’ okay?”
“Not inside these castle walls, missy. You are an honored guest as are Miss Mina and Miss Jena. The title stays while you stay. On the warrior compound I will concede to your request.” He winks at me before closing the door. The girls and I laugh at the theatrics.
“Well let’s head over and get dressed. Boys, sit right back down, there are three of us and I can guarantee a minimum of five warriors in the hallway, we will survive the ten feet to my room. It will go faster this way.”
I stand up, securing my towel and head to the door with the girls following me. We were actually ready before the boys, waiting in the hallway for them to come out. All of us, except Xander are decked out in warrior gear. If you didn’t know who we were to Xander it would look like we were his six person protection detail.
The guys have black, almost too small, t-shirts showing off every muscle they have in their upper body. The tactical cargo pants hide more, but still look rugged and intimidating all at the same time. The girls and I were given the same black form fitting t-shirts. It’s not cotton, but a matte water wicking
Saterial that feels like butter on my We all have black leggings, black socks and black boots that match the guys. Our only difference is the tactical belt. It’s thick and sturdy, designed not to move too much over the slippery material of the leggings. There is a cargo pocket at the belt with two thick straps hanging down attaching to another cargo pocket, which has a thigh belt to attach to our leg. I feel a bit like Lara Croft right now and it’s hard to hide my giddiness at the thought. This must be what Sierra feels like when she sees a dress she really likes.
We made our way to the Mahogany Room, which is the meeting room where I told off Alpha Brecc. It shouldn’t surprise me that the meeting rooms in the castle have names, but my inner little girl thinks it’s so neat.
“There’s the team!” Alpha Reggie looks far too excited right now. That means he is up to something. Xander stops next to me, mirroring my look.
“Dad, what are you up to? And do I need coffee to keep up with whatever you are about to throw at us?”
Ignoring Xander’s sarcasm, Alpha Reggie goes on. “Sit, sit. We have plans to make.”
“Here we go.” Xander laughs under his breath, but doesn’t look frustrated or annoyed, so I’m hoping ‘plans’ is a good thing.
The seven of us sit side by side across the round table from Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne.
